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Novedge is the leading online store for design software. Visit our website for unparalleled search, comparison charts, and licensing information for over 8,000 titles at competitive prices.

Mechanical Design

February 26, 2015

Editor' Note: Engineering and Computing Science students and practitioners, this blog post is for you! Add this book to your shelf and start playing with Graphing and Simulation Tools right away.

Novedge: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

My name is Petru Aurelian Simionescu and I am an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi in the mechanical Engineering program. I received my BS degree in Mechanical Engineering with an Automotive Engineering concentration from Politechnica University of Bucharest, a Doctorate Degree in Technical Sciences from the same university, and a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University in 2004. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, I taught and conducted research at Politechnica University of Bucharest, Transilvania University of Brasov, Heriot Watt University, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Auburn University, University of Tulsa and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Early in my career I worked for four years in the automotive industry.

Novedge:You recently published a book titled Computer-Aided Graphing and Simulation Tools for AutoCAD Users. Would you care to give us a little summary?

The book is the sum of the research I have done in the past 20 years on information visualization, optimization, evolutionary computation, and on linkage, cam and gear mechanism design. In addition to AutoCAD and AutoLisp, there is also examples in the book of simulations done with Working Model 2D. There are also a number of Pascal programs and subroutines that come with the book - both as source code and executables. These include programs D_2D and D_3D which have several unique features, not available in popular graphing software like MATLAB, Excel or MathCAD. Here are some sample output by these two programs :

showing automatically the zeros and extrema of 2D plots with the possibility of exporting them to file;logarithmically spacing level curves in contour plots;

truncating 3D surface plots;

and representing the gradient using available data (i.e. no need to provide the gradient information separately.

With the book, the user will receive several AutoLisp application for animating DXF layers and for automatically generating 3D models with data read from file, and for generating involute gear profiles. You can see some sample animations here and here.

Novedge: Who would benefit by reading the book. Who is your target audience?

The book is intended for engineering and computing science students and practitioners. Although mentioned in the title, there is no absolute need of AutoCAD software to make good use of the book (at most of a DXF viewer which can be downloaded free from the Internet), and the knowledge of AutoCAD does not have to be extensive.

Novedge:What is the best advance in Engineering Software these days?

In the last 15 years there have been major changes in the Engineering Software industry, with mergers and acquisitions that brought together highly talented developers. This resulted in excellent CAD, CAE and integrated product development platforms. Winners will be those software companies that provide intuitive, carefully designed use interfaces to their product, and good documentation to their software. They should also have strong presence in academia, because students are the vectors to industry of these software products. 3D Model by Student Adam Ersepke.

Novedge: What software do you use, at school and at home?

Recently I use MATLAB and Simulink to model the power flow in the planetary transmission of a wind turbine. We are trying to experimentally verify the results obtained. I am also using SimWise 4D and Working Model 2D. I also use AutoCAD and Inventor, but less of the latter because I was able to find talented student to do the CAD work (see 3D models by students).3D Model by Student Andrei Draghici.

Novedge:What kind of research are you involved in?

With help from my students, currently I do research on the design of reconfigurable machinery, renewable energy and robotics.I also remain interested in automotive technology i.e. steering and suspension system design and condition monitoring.

Novedge: What advice would you give to people looking into going to college to study mechanical engineering?

A Mechanical Engineering can land a graduate to job in many industries: automotive, aerospace, electronics (think of all heat transfer and forced cooling that go in a computer), ship building, oil and gas etc. To be successful in these professions, in addition to good math and science training, there is a need for technical and managerial knowledge. Since a professional in the US will change more than half-a-dozen jobs in a life time, it is advisable for the engineering student to develop a broad range of interest, including in the classical mechanical engineering disciplines such as machine design and manufacturing processes. Knowledge of at least one CAD package is a must for any mechanical engineering graduate. With out one is like majoring in computer science without knowing a programing language.

Novedge:What does it take to be a good teacher?

To know the material that you are teaching and be able to relate it to your students with reference to what they should know from other classes and everyday life. To be considerate of their teaching load (is not only your class that matters), and also approachable. I like to tell my students that they are my retirement plan i.e. hey alone will keep the country going in two or three decades from now. So if they are well prepared and practice their professions ethically and competently, we will all do well.

May 27, 2014

Daniel Kim: I'm Daniel Kim, founder and CEO of Lit Motors. I founded Lit about four years ago. We're making innovative electric vehicles, focusing on a self-balancing two-wheeler currently code-named "C-1". The C-1 combines the romance and efficiency of a motorcycle with the safety and comfort of a car, creating a brand new vehicle platform.

Novedge: How do you collaborate with your team of designers and engineers?

Daniel Kim: Our design and engineering process is very collaborative. We hired an insanely talented team and I lead them to make the vehicle a reality. Since we're designing a new vehicle platform from the ground up, the designers and engineers have to work together very closely to make sure the vehicle is both functional and beautiful. The design informs the engineering and vice-versa. And we're all very, very hands-on. Everyone gets their hands dirty.

Novedge: What makes the C-1 special?

Daniel Kim: No vehicle like the C-1 has ever existed outside of science fiction. We're taking gyro technology from satellites and spacecraft and bringing it down to the terrestrial level. If you look around the world, you see that most people get around on two wheels. But we North Americans love our cars. So we're combining the best parts of cars and motorcycles to create a new vehicle platform, enabled by our gyro technology.

Novedge: How did you get real market feedback on the viability of manufacturing and selling the C-1?

Daniel Kim: We asked! In addition to using more traditional in-person techniques (as documented in our Harvard Business School case study), we use social media extensively to get constant feedback from our market. Manufacturing knowledge is largely from my own experience building cars and bicycles, as well as extensive research on manufacturing techniques for cars, motorcycles, airplanes, and other vehicles. I'm obsessed with How It's Made.

Novedge: What software did you use to design the C-1 and Kubo?

Daniel Kim: We're part of the Autodesk Clean Tech program, so we use their software packages as much as possible, especially Alias. We fill in the gaps with a few other programs, including the Adobe Creative Suite as well.

Novedge: What was the biggest challenge and what have you learned from it?

Daniel Kim: My biggest challenge has been making Lit Motors a reality, turning an idea into a company. I first came up with the concept about ten years ago, and spent years on researching on my own and at RISD and the MIT Media Lab before I founded the company. It's been a huge learning experience to go from a guy with an art degree to running a startup with twenty employees. I feel insanely lucky. It's been a long, hard road, but it's been worth it. I can't imagine doing anything else.

Novedge: What skills have you learned in life that are now serving you the best?

Daniel Kim: That you can control your environment. You can change things, you can fix things, you can create anything you want. You can build your own bike, your own surfboard, your own room. You can build your own car if you want to. I don't recommend it – it's hell – but you can do it.

Novedge: What's next for you and LitMotors?

Daniel Kim: We're currently developing our next prototype, and aim to begin production by the end of the year.

To find out more about the team behind Lit Motors, check out their website. And if you'd like to join them, hurry up and apply: they are hiring!

Jacob Sunderland: My name is Jacob Sunderland and I am a senior at Southeast Polk High School and I am going to DMACC next year to major in engineering.

Novedge: How did you become interested in engineering and design technology?Jacob Sunderland: I was introduced to engineering by my freshman math teacher and I started to look into engineering and find out what it was all about. I then got involve with the ACE Mentor Program and worked with actual engineers and learned about what they do on a day to day basis and help in a group project of designing a mock building.

Novedge: What kind of classes and/or programs in engineering and design technology does your school offer?Jacob Sunderland: My school offers quite a few classes for engineering and design but I was only able to take a few. I completed Drafting 1 last year and I am currently in Engineering Drafting this year and it is one of my favorite classes. Like I mentioned before I was involved in the ACE Mentor Program which gave me hand on experience with what professionals in the engineering field have to face everyday.

Novedge: Can you talk about your project that won 1st place at the Iowa Industrial Technology Competition?Jacob Sunderland: The competition that I competed in was the Intro to CAD. In this competition I was given a packet of ten drawings and was told to recreate them on AutoCAD as fast and as accurately as I could. The drawings were ordered from easiest in front and started to get harder towards the end. I was able to complete 7 out of 10 of the drawings and was given one hour to do so.

Novedge: What software do you use and why?Jacob Sunderland: The software that I use is called AutoCAD and I use this because it is the software that my school provides us with and is the software that I have used for two years now and have grown quite familiar with.

Novedge: Who are you inspired by? Do you have a mentor?Jacob Sunderland: I'm am most inspired by my drafting teacher Mr. VanWey I would also call him my mentor because he has taught me a lot about the software and how to be efficient with how I build things on it.

Novedge: What are your plans for the future?Jacob Sunderland: I am going to DMACCfor a couple years to work on my prerequisite class in the engineering program and plan on transferring up to Iowa State University to finish out my studies in engineering. And after that I hope to find a job in the mechanical engineering field.